Pittsburgh, PA – Today, the Shapiro-Davis Administration teamed up with Students Demand Action, Everytown for Gun Safety, and local community organizations to host two listening sessions for the Pennsylvania Office of Gun Violence Prevention focused on reducing youth gun involvement. The gatherings brought together youth, gun violence advocacy organizations, and state and local leaders to discuss the impacts of gun violence on youth, root causes of youth gun involvement, and solutions to keep Pennsylvania’s kids and teens safe.
We are deeply grateful to the young leaders, community advocates, and frontline organizations who shared their experiences, challenges, and ideas with us today,” said Samantha Koch, Interim Director of PCCD’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention. “We heard loud and clear that preventing youth gun involvement starts with giving young people a seat at the table, and by expanding access to education, career opportunities, mentorship, and safe spaces.”
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Firearm-related injuries are the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States.
In Pennsylvania, an average of 151 children and teens die from gun suicides and homicides each year.
Between 2011 and 2020, the Commonwealth lost 1,151 individuals aged 10 to 19 to gun violence.
Exposure to gun violence can significantly increase youth mental health needs, and children and teens in low-opportunity neighborhoods are 2.5 times more likely to be injured by firearms. These findings, and today’s community-based conversations, reinforce the urgent need for targeted interventions to address both the physical and psychological toll of gun violence on young people.
My generation’s safety has been shattered because of easy access to firearms. Gun violence is the leading cause of death for young people in Pennsylvania, and that means we have to address this crisis with the urgency it deserves,” said Larren Wells, Pittsburgh Lead, Students Demand Action. “We’re grateful the Office of Gun Violence Prevention gave us a seat at the table and a platform to voice our plan to create change. I’m hopeful this conversation will transform into meaningful, tangible action in our fight to reduce gun violence.”
Research shows that providing youth with after-school and out-of-school programming reduces crime and creates positive outcomes for youth. That’s why the Shapiro-Davis Administration invested $11 million last year for PCCD’s new Building Opportunity through Out-of-School Time (BOOST) program for at-risk school-age youth – and has proposed an additional $10 million in the 2025-26 proposed budget.
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“We are honored to be a part of the conversation, hearing from young Pennsylvanians about their experiences and concerns relating to gun violence,” said Ruby Mundok, Executive Director, Governor’s Advisory Commission for Next Generation Engagement. “We’ve had the privilege of working with the Shapiro-Davis Administration, including PCCD, to make sure young people have a seat at the table and a say in the decisions that are being made.”
Our Commission is laser-focused on protecting the safety of our communities, from the playground to the pulpit”, said Andréa Stanford, Chair, Governor’s Advisory Commission for African American Affairs. "We stand with the Shapiro-Davis Administration in prioritizing opportunities to listen to the lived experiences of survivors, partner with advocacy groups, and collaborate with legislators to affect policy change that can prevent the senseless loss of life caused by gun violence.”
The Shapiro-Davis Administration’s proposed 2025-26 budget also calls for a $10 million increase for PCCD’s Violence Intervention and Prevention Grants program to expand support for community-driven violence reduction strategies.
Community violence is a public health epidemic,” said Rashad Byrdsong, Executive Director of Community Empowerment Association, which hosted the day’s second listening session. “It involves defining and measuring the problem, determining the cause, risk factors, and how to prevent or ameliorate the problem, and implementing effective strategies on a larger scale and evaluating the impact.”
Governor Shapiro signed Executive Order 2024-2025 on September 9, 2024, re-establishing the Pennsylvania Office of Gun Violence Prevention within PCCD. Recognizing that those most affected by gun violence must be at the center of the solution, the Office has conducted seven in-depth listening sessions and gathered insights from hundreds of Pennsylvanians on the impact of gun violence in their communities.
PCCD released an Initial Report and Strategic Plan, highlighting key findings from these stakeholder engagement efforts on the impact of gun violence statewide, highlighting urgent needs, and providing a roadmap for action, including:
Establishing a diverse advisory group to inform statewide strategies.
Increasing investments in community-based violence intervention and prevention programs and bolstering resources for victims’ services.
Improving data collection, availability, analysis, and research on firearm-related incidents.